Programs & Degrees

We see the teaching of English as more than just a school subject. Our vision of English education involves young people reading and writing not only to develop school or workplace skills, but also to understand and change their own lives and the world they (and we) live in.  In this vision, literacy is a powerful tool for learning and action, and the English classroom is a site of authentic encounters with important ideas-- both in the texts young people read and in the ones they create.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and many options for teacher certification.

There is a growing demand for graduates of teacher education programs. This department offers professional programs leading to certification in early childhood (PK-4), middle-level education (grades 4-8), and in a variety of discipline areas leading to certification at the secondary-school level. Admission to a specific teacher certification program occurs only after a student applies to a particular program during or at the conclusion of the freshman year. This department also provides a variety of clinical field experiences, including student teaching.

Welcome to the Educational Theory and Policy Program in the Department of Education Policy Studies at The Pennsylvania State University!  Our program consists of faculty with diverse interests and vibrant research portfolios encompassing educational policy, history of education, sociology of education and comparative and international education.

The Education and Public Policy program provides advanced training in policy analysis, innovation and impact, and educational leadership, while exploring the historical relationships of society, culture, economics, and politics. Aspiring academic researchers, policy makers, advocates, higher education administrators, and school leaders will be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to change the blueprint of education for the better.

Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) is a new program providing doctoral training to motivated students interested in career areas pertaining to educational policy, educational leadership, and higher education

Penn State’s Higher Education program is perennially ranked among the best higher education programs in the country. Its combination of compelling academics, premier university context, verdant geographical location, culture of camaraderie and mutuality, and gifted faculty and student colleagues provides a terrific backdrop for graduate study. 

Welcome to the Educational Leadership program of The Pennsylvania State University. This program is available to those who want to exercise leadership roles in educational policy and management or engage in research about educational leadership.

From the earliest proposals for public schooling in the U.S., researchers and practitioners have relied on comparative and international perspectives to illuminate the field of education. Today more than ever, in an era of information technology and an interconnected global economy of skills and ideas, scholars need to understand how the processes of schooling and learning vary across societies and what implications these variations have for education in the world today.

The RHS major prepares students to work in diverse human service settings that serve people with disabilities. Students in this major work with a variety of clients (children, adolescents, adults, older adults) who often experience problems in physical, personal, social, educational, and vocational aspects of their lives. RHS professionals assist these individuals to improve each person's quality of life. 

Professional skills that RHS students acquire include how to: identify and support client goals, advocate for others, assess client needs, conduct educational and related support groups, consult with other professionals from other agencies and settings, develop client and family treatment plans, identify and use appropriate community resources to address client problems, interview clients, family members, and other support personnel, manage client caseloads, and resolve conflicts.

The Special Education program is housed in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education in the College of Education at Penn State. Our goal, shared with our colleagues in the Department, is an educational system in which families, communities, and educators share responsibility and commitment for preparing future citizens to live independent, responsible, productive, and personally satisfying lives to the fullest extent of their capabilities in our evolving society.

The minor in Rehabilitation and Human Services (RHS) supplements the educational needs of students across disciplines who wish to gain advanced knowledge and skills related to health, disability, and interpersonal interactions. In today’s society, due to medical advances and an aging population, more people are living longer with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and many jobs require advanced interpersonal skills and knowledge of health, disability, and human service skills.

The mission of the Counselor Education Program is to provide counselors-in-training and counselor educators with the skills necessary for providing ethical and culturally competent services to nurture personal development, psychological maturity, and positive social enhancement. The program also places strong emphasis on developing students into social advocates through exposure to diverse learning and outreach opportunities. 

The goal of the Educational Psychology (EDPSY) program is to engage in research, scholarship, and teaching related to the application of psychology to learning, instruction, and measurement across the life span. As educational psychologists, the faculty engage in scholarly activities such as attending/presenting at conferences and publishing their work in scholarly journals/books. The faculty offer introductory and advanced courses in thematic areas of educational psychology both for those training to become educational psychologists and those in the teacher preparation programs of the College of Education and the University.

The mission of Penn State’s Workforce Education and Development program is to promote excellence, opportunity, and leadership among professionals in the field of workforce education and development, including professionals employed in secondary and postsecondary education institutions, social services, employee organizations, and private sector businesses.

Faculty in the program strive to attain a cost-effective academic program that is recognized nationally as among the best of its type in scholarship, leadership, and professional preparation.

We appreciate your interest in our program. It is one of the oldest academic programs offered by Penn State.

The mission of the Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Program at Penn State is to advance knowledge and improve practices regarding how adults learn in a variety of organizational and societal settings—both formally and informally, in residence and at a distance. Pursuant to its mission, the goals of the program include the following: (a) to further the disciplined inquiry of the field; (b) to prepare its future leaders; and (c) to develop educators/scholars in the practice of adult education. The program’s mission and goals are reflected throughout its curriculum and teaching, its faculty’s and students’ research, scholarship and service, and the work done through its affiliated centers and institutes. Faculty and students engage in research and development activities within the broad field of adult education and in specific areas of specialization

Welcome to the Learning, Design, and Technology program at Penn State. Our program offers a unique blend of research, teaching, and practice in LDT. Our faculty has an exceptional record of publications: books, refereed journal articles, as well as a high level of presentations, research, grant applications. Our faculty work closely with their graduate students to mentor them in research and teaching.

Join a world of continuing education with the Lifelong Learning and Adult Education program at Penn State.

The Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S) in Organization Development and Change is an online degree aimed toward professionals in fields such as talent management, corporate development and performance improvement in government, nonprofit organizations and industry. The program is designed with an international focus, ensuring that students are exposed to global issues and the way change is occurring around the world and will emphasize the importance of technology when it comes to facilitating change.

Students in the Organization Development and Change program will have the opportunity to build portfolios, collections of work samples that they have accumulated throughout their programs that they can share with prospective employers. The M.P.S. in Organization Development and Change is a degree offering of the Workforce Education program in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems in the Penn State College of Education. It is offered as an online degree program through the Penn State World Campus.

A College-wide online Doctor of Education degree program is a 37+ credit inquiry-intensive and practically oriented interdisciplinary degree program.